The challenge is to be filed in Brussels by a lawyer for four Chinese shoe companies, said Wei Kaimeng, a spokesman for Aokang Group, one of the country's biggest producers.

Wei said it would be filed soon but he didn't know the date.

The EU imposed duties this year after concluding that Chinese producers were dumping shoes in Europe.

Half of the 2,5 billion pairs of shoes sold in the EU last year came from China.

Some 174 million pairs fall into the category that faces the extra charges.

Chinese producers have rejected the accusations, saying their prices are part of legitimate competition.

China's government has rejected the duties as unjustified and appealed to EU leaders to treat Chinese producers fairly.

The duties were imposed in March and have steadily increased, rising from 4 per cent at the start to 16,5 per cent in October, according to Wei and Chinese news reports.

The EU says they eventually will rise to 19,4 per cent and could remain in effect for five years.

A group of 180 Chinese shoe producers hired lawyers to challenge the earlier EU anti-dumping decision.

But most of those companies are not taking part in the latest appeal, said the chairman of that group, Wu Zhenchang, president of the Panyu Chuangxin Shoes Group.

Similar anti-dumping duties were imposed on Vietnamese-made shoes exported to Europe.

Nampa-AP

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